| Giant thicket rat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Muridae |
| Genus: | Grammomys |
| Species: | G. gigas |
| Binomial name | |
| Grammomys gigas | |
The giant thicket rat (Grammomys gigas) is a species of rodent in the family Muridae which is restricted to a small area of Kenya.
The giant thicket rat is a slender arboreal rat with large, ovoid ears with a rather long and fine coat. [2] It is very similar to Grammomys ibeanus but has larger teeth, longer rear feet and a larger head. The head-body length is 132 mm (5.2 in), tail length 201 mm (7.9 in), the rear foot has a length of 26.5 mm (1.0 in), the ear is 19 mm (0.7 in) long and skull 35.1 mm (1.4 in). [3]
The giant thicket rat is endemic to Kenya, where it is restricted to the vicinity of Mount Kenya. [4]
The giant thicket rat is an arboreal species which is found in montane moist forest and high-elevation scrub. Species of the genus Grammomys feed on fruit, seeds and other plant matter, they occasionally eat arthropods. [2]
The giant thicket rat is losing habitat due to the clearance of forest for timber, firewood and conversion to agricultural land. There is almost no data on how common the species is and, although there is no data on trends, it is thought that the population is decreasing. Much of the giant thicket rat's range lies within Mount Kenya National Park but it is a priority to establish other protected areas for this species. The giant thicket rat is classified as endangered because its range is less than 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) and is in a single locality where the habitat is being degraded. As this species is so little known the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources recommends that it needs further study to evaluate its status and ensure its conservation. [4]
The West African shaggy rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland and swamps. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Grammomys is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Africa. It contains the following species:
The gray-headed thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Kenya and Somalia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The woodland thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, arable land, pastureland, and urban areas.
The forest thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The Ruwenzori thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Macmillan's thicket rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, shrub-dominated wetlands, and urban areas.
The montane hylomyscus or montane wood mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. A long-coated species with brownish-grey upper parts and whitish-grey underparts, it occurs in the uplands of tropical Central Africa where its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests.
The Mount Oku hylomyscus is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. Found only on Mount Oku, Cameroon, in tropical Central Africa, its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests. It has a very small range and is threatened by habitat destruction, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being "critically endangered".
The Mount Oku rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Lamottemys. It is found only in Cameroon where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The gray tree rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. only species in the genus Lenothrix. It is found in forests in Indonesia and Malaysia. A common species, the IUCN has rated it as being of "least concern".
The Mindanao mountain rat or long-tailed moss mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in the Philippines, where it is present at high altitudes in the Kitanglad Mountain Range on the island of Mindanao.
The Ethiopian forest brush-furred rat or golden-footed brush-furred rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The rusty-bellied brush-furred rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, arable land, and pastureland.
The Malayan field rat, Malaysian field rat or Malaysian wood rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is nocturnal and mainly arboreal and is found in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a common species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".
The target rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus Stochomys. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The black-tailed tree rat, also called black-tailed acacia rat or black-tailed thallomys,, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is both nocturnal and arboreal and makes bulky nests in the trees, often acacias, where it feeds on leaves and buds.
The forest giant squirrel or Stanger's squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations.
The eastern rainforest grammomys, also known as the eastern rainforest thicket rat, is a species of rodent from the family Muridae.
Arvicanthini is a tribe of muroid rodents in the subfamily Murinae. Almost all recent species in this tribe are or were found in Africa aside from one species, the Indian bush rat, which is found in South Asia and Iran. However, some fossil Golunda species from India and the genus Parapelomys are thought to have also occurred outside Africa, and one species in the fossil genus Saidomys may have also occurred in Afghanistan.
